From Idaho to Africa!

Well, she's gone. 

 Our dear Rose and her sweet friend, Brenna are in route as I write.

  From Idaho, to Seattle, to Amsterdam, to Entebbe, to Jinja.  

It is about a 25 hour plane trip to Uganda, Africa where they will spend the next three weeks

 ministering with some very dear folks, Paul and Pam Hunter of Next Generation ministries. 

 I'm stealing some photos from Rose's blog....but better yet,

 I hope you wander your way over there and see for yourself what God is doing 

in this young ladies heart!  

I am so excited for Rose and Brenna, but I am going to miss Rose dearly! 

She is such a vibrant soul...I will be missing all the laughs and great talks, 

 the singing together and being together.

Meanwhile, I am preparing for our annual women's retreat, 

where I will be sharing the weekend with around 30 other ladies, and, 

I will be speaking for two of the four sessions. 

 You know, the great thing about preparing a lesson to share, is that in the preparation, 

God does amazing things in my own heart!  

So it is really a blessing to be the speaker, and thus, because of my new found, AHA! moments,

 I am so excited and eager for the retreat!!

I will be leaving the children home with daddy for part of the time,

 and Joe will be in charge while daddy is at work. 

 Joe is quite a kid magnet, like his daddy...and very responsible almost 16 year old, 

so no worries there.

  However, the two littles are sick again with a croupy kind of cough, congestion,

 and Olivia has a fever.  

 Ten years ago I never would have left the children for two and a half days, 

but older now, and hopefully wiser, I am much more relaxed with them and laid back. 

 They will be in good hands...I need not be a control freak and mother them every second,

 and...God sees us in all we do, He sees our good intentions, 

our motives to get away now and then for some intimate time with Him and other women..

..and I have faith that He will be watching over them with greater care than I would. 

So, I WILL myself not to worry over them.  Or Rose and Brenna, their luggage...

...and all that a mama's mind can conjure up in the middle of the night 

when one of her babies is on the other side of the world.

 smile.  

He will be watching over them.

Uh, Oh, that did it.

sniff.

Blessings,

Julianne

The Necessity of Afternoon Tea

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth,

 for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:  it is the time for home."

- Dame Edith Sitwell

I like this quote, but I think I could replace "winter" with "teatime."

Teatime is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth,
for the touch of a friendly hand and for talk beside the fire;
 it is the time for home.

 Yes, that suits just fine.

My favorite part of the  day comes around 2:30 every afternoon. 

 It is that of tea time at our home. 

 The children most likely have been rambling about the woods, 

and are glad for a warming cup of goodness,

 followed by some sort of treat to keep the famished over until dinner.

This tradition, I unabashedly admit,

 I stole from my dear friend, Enola Gay, 

whose home life has inspired me so much over the years we have been friends. 

 Tea time is more for the soul than the goodies,

 although goodies are always appreciated,
like these light Honey Lemon Tea cakes Jim baked up.

Our family has a few favorite herbal teas and a few black teas in which we savor.

  Sometimes we make a pot, other times we each pick our own bagged variety.

Sometimes we make special lovely treats, and sometimes we just share fresh fruit.

  Either way, afternoon tea set by our fireside,

 especially on days like today,

 when the rain and snow mix is pouring down amid occasional gusts of a cold wind, 

bring together all of my favorite aspects of the season...

the warmth of curling up by the fire, 

the aroma of a good tea  (such as Evening In Missoula or Market Spice),

 the children's chatter about their adventures, 

the sharing of our plans for the evening, 

the coziness of candles lit just for tea time.

..it all speaks to me- warms my heart,

 which in turn, encourages me to soldier on through the second half of the day.

Honey Lemon Tea Cakes

1/3 c. soft butter
1/2 c. honey
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c milk
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Mix well.  Pour into greased muffin cups.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Top with 2 Tbsp butter and a sprinkling of sugar.
Cool in Frig before serving.

Enjoy with friendly hearts and a fine cup of tea!

Blessings,
Julianne

Life at the Lodge Last Week

Last week went by in a blur...here is why:

The new goat babies are here...

Marshall and Moses joined little Mabel in the goat pen last week, 

They are just her size, only she is two weeks older. 

 Rose had to play midwife and pull both of these babies,

 who are doing very well along with their mama.  

Aren't they adorable??

  We will be rich in goat milk in a few short weeks.

Besides playing and gentling these cuties, we have been doing some big cooking.

I enjoy cooking and hospitality. 

 Here is one way that I serve in the church body with these gifts:

Every Wednesday, I cook dinner for about 30 people

 who come to our "Family Fellowship" night at the church. 

 Last week, we ( myself and with the children's help)  oven fried 20 lbs of chicken,
according to my dear friend, Enola Gay's recipe, 

and oh, was it good!!! 

 Enola is a very good cook who has her own cookbook. 

 I highly recommend it.  

We served the chicken with baked potatoes, and,
having bought the chicken (thighs) on sale,

 the total cost was approximately $2.00/person,
just so you know, 

if you are planning on cooking for a crowd soon.

 

 There were many raves over the chicken, so it was a big success.  But, then...

Toward the end of the week, the family began coming down with INFLUENZA B. 

 This we have been battling with home remedies with some success.  

 Oil of Oregano, taken in the early stages of illness worked very well on three of us. 

 Grandma Gladys had a special recipe for cough syrup-one of those hillbilly potions-  

implemented at night that always works well...but ICK!!
  Perhaps it is the nastiness of the syrup that motivates one to get well real quick?!  :-)

 Then, giving comfort is Vicks on the chest, honey lemon tea throughout the day,
as well as Immune Booster tea

and lots of rest are the natural treatments we have used. 

 The poor littles have just slept and slept...

here, there, and everywhere!

 The stealth napper...

the burrito style napper...

I find them to be adorable --illness and all!

Today is our first day up and at em. 

My, but it feels good!

 The pouring rain outside makes it feel like a great day for tea...

(but then, every day is a great day for tea in my book)

 and extra reading to catch up from a week lost to illness..

..maybe some board games as well.  

If you're of a mind to wander across the internet..do visit our daughter Anna here...

..she's a resourceful, sweet, gem making a lovely home life for her wonderful hubby in NM

 and expecting a baby in June...

and our vivacious, beautiful Rose..here...just days from departing for Africa again...

she is so excited and will tell you all about  the ministry opportunities awaiting.

I know you will be blessed by both of these blogs.

Wishing you well...

Julianne 

Birthday Blessings

Benjamin Creed

March is a big birthday month in our family.  

I counted six birthdays in the extended family.

After putting up the crepe paper, balloons and birthday banner, 

we started fixing pizzas for the 20 some guests, mostly family.

  Rose and Joe are the main pizza chefs. 

 Joe prepared his specialty:  BBQ chicken pizza, 

Rose made the Pepperoni, and we all worked on the Jalapeno Popper Pizza, 

which we copied from Anna, who had just tried it the week before with great success.

 When the food was ready,

 Daddy prayed a special blessing on the birthday boy, Ben, who is turning 11 years old.

 After dinner-- cake, of course...except our boy wanted banana splits instead,

 so we put his candles in his ice cream.  

He was quite pleased with it.

Long ago we started a tradition of giving the same gifts to each boy at a certain age.

  This has worked very well...and the children look forward 

to the day they will be old enough to get  ______, as if it has become a right of passage.

 It also keeps things fair.

Once our boys are nine, 

we leave toys behind and enter the age of tools that will last, hopefully, a lifetime.

When they turn nine, we give them a foot locker.

 At ten, they get their first pocket knife.

  At eleven, a hatchet.

  For twelve they get a hunting knife.  

Thirteen, a .22,

 and fourteen- a gift especially for their particular interests.

 Fifteen- a fishing vest. 

 When sixteen, they receive  a dinner date with parents, with a "becoming a man ceremony".

 Seventeen, a tool kit for a car,

  And eighteen, a "senior trip" with daddy.

We have a whole different list for girls, but that will be told another time.

  

Here, you can see, 

that this little woodsman is happy as can be to have yet more camo and a fishing net,

 gifts from grandparents. 

After stuffing ourselves with pizza AND banana splits,

 enjoying all the company...which somehow consistently includes a dress up party for the little girls  (always amusing), opening presents, visiting some more...

...and the guests have left...sigh...

we settled the children down and read a few more chapters in Little House On Plum Creek 

before tucking them in, then seeking our own happy slumbering place.

  Another birthday..

..one more year added to the many years we have been blessed with our children. 

 Each one has their own gifts and talents, bents, and love language.

 Each one so unique, so precious in their own way,

 and  yes, challenging in their own way.

 Yet each one, certainly a reward (Psalm 127).

 We concluded the day feeling overly full and abundantly blessed..

...the perfect ending for a birthday.